hillcrest

Spending time with your dad on Father’s Day can be a great way to decrease stress and increase well-being according to one clinical director. Hillcrest Family Services Clinical Director Kelly Geigerich believes some individuals have faced mental health issues caused by the COVID-19 outbreak and she says that’s normal. While spending quality time with your father, Geigerich recommends understanding the signs of declining mental health in order to help out family members and friends, “I would say communication is key. You want to listen and be empathetic. I would suggest knowing some of the signs that someone may be experiencing related to declining mental health, for example social withdrawals, sleeping too much or too little, might be a change in eating patterns, forgetfulness, mood dysregulations. You may even hear some suicide ideation or people may be expressing some of those ideations to you. Just being aware of these signs is one of the first steps to knowing when to talk to someone and the earlier you can intervene the better.” Giegerich says when individuals age, social connections are further related to mental health and wellbeing. When family time and social support is strong, she says, older adults can develop overall good mental health.